Literature discovery
Find relevant peer-reviewed papers from a natural-language question, keywords, Boolean query, author, title, or DOI.
Independent tool overview
ResearchGPT (now Consensus) at a glance
ResearchGPT was renamed Consensus and has grown from a custom GPT into a broader academic search platform with a current ChatGPT app.
Visit the official ResearchGPT (now Consensus) site ↗
- Current name
- Consensus
- Best for
- Finding and synthesizing academic evidence
- Access
- Web app plus Consensus app in ChatGPT
- Free plan
- Available with monthly limits
- Last reviewed
- August 29, 2026
Overview
What ResearchGPT (now Consensus) is
ResearchGPT was the original name of the Consensus custom GPT. Consensus renamed it in early 2024, and the company now offers its research search inside its own web app and through a newer Consensus app for ChatGPT.
The product searches a large scholarly corpus before using AI to summarize findings. That makes it better suited to evidence discovery, literature overviews, and citation finding than a general chatbot answering from broad web knowledge.
Consensus can save substantial screening time, but its summaries are still a starting point. Important work should verify the cited paper, methods, population, publication status, limitations, and whether newer or retracted research changes the conclusion.
Use cases
Who ResearchGPT (now Consensus) is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Evidence-backed briefs
Generate a cited overview across multiple studies before reading the most relevant papers in depth.
Research inside ChatGPT
Bring Consensus search into an existing ChatGPT conversation or Deep Research workflow.
Study screening
Compare study design, sample size, population, outcomes, and other extracted details more quickly.
Capabilities
Core ResearchGPT (now Consensus) features
Scholarly paper search
Searches more than 220 million research papers using semantic and keyword retrieval, with Paper Search available when you want results without an AI summary.
Pro messages
Synthesizes findings from up to 20 papers and can produce summaries, comparison tables, evidence views, and cited answers.
Deep reviews
Runs a multi-step search process and creates a structured literature review from a selected set of relevant papers.
Study Snapshot
Extracts fields such as population, sample size, methods, duration, outcomes, and results for faster study evaluation.
Full-text research tools
Supports paper-level questions, uploaded documents, collections, citations, exports, and full-text analysis when that text is available.
Consensus in ChatGPT
The current ChatGPT app can find papers, generate cited summaries, compare studies, and contribute sources to Deep Research.
Process
How the ResearchGPT (now Consensus) workflow works
Step 1
Frame a precise question
Include the population, intervention, outcome, timeframe, study type, or other constraints that matter.
Step 2
Choose the right search depth
Use Paper Search to browse, Pro for a multi-paper synthesis, or Deep for a longer literature-review workflow.
Step 3
Inspect the evidence
Open the strongest results and compare study design, sample size, population, publication date, and limitations.
Step 4
Export and verify
Save or export citations, then confirm critical claims against the papers themselves before publication or decision-making.
Cost
ResearchGPT (now Consensus) pricing and free plan
Consensus has a free tier and paid Pro, Deep, and team plans. ChatGPT, API, and MCP usage share plan-level monthly call limits.
Free
$0
Core research access with monthly limits.
- Unlimited Paper searches
- Limited Pro messages
- 3 Deep reviews per month
- 10 Study Snapshots per month
- 30 included API and MCP calls per month
Pro
$20/month or $144/year
For regular evidence search and synthesis.
- Unlimited Pro messages
- 15 Deep reviews per month
- Unlimited Study Snapshots
- 250 included API and MCP calls per month
Deep
$65/month or $540/year
For frequent literature-review work.
- Everything in Pro
- 200 Deep reviews per month
- 1,000 included API and MCP calls per month
Teams
Custom pricing
A team offering with pricing based on team size.
- Team administration and purchasing options
- Contact or configure a team plan for a quote
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
ResearchGPT (now Consensus) strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Searches scholarly literature before generating its answer
- Shows citations and makes it easy to open the underlying papers
- Supports lightweight paper discovery and deeper multi-step reviews
- Works in the Consensus web app and within ChatGPT
- Provides study-level details that help users screen evidence faster
What to consider
- AI summaries can omit nuance or misinterpret a study, so important claims still require paper-level verification
- Coverage and full-text availability vary by publisher, field, and paper
- Citation-backed output does not by itself establish study quality or scientific consensus
- Free and paid plans impose different limits on Pro, Deep, API, MCP, and ChatGPT usage
- The old ResearchGPT experience has been replaced by the current Consensus product and ChatGPT app
Compare
ResearchGPT (now Consensus) alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Data Analysis
Elicit
Choose Elicit for structured literature-review workflows and extracting evidence into research tables.
Explore Elicit →Educators
Semantic Scholar
Choose Semantic Scholar for broad academic discovery and citation-network exploration without a synthesis-first interface.
Explore Semantic Scholar →Students
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Choose NotebookLM when you want answers and generated study materials grounded primarily in sources you provide.
Explore Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) →Questions
ResearchGPT (now Consensus) FAQs
Is ResearchGPT still available?
ResearchGPT was renamed Consensus. The original custom-GPT concept evolved into the Consensus GPT and has since been replaced by the current Consensus app connection inside ChatGPT.
Is ResearchGPT the same as Consensus?
Yes. ResearchGPT was the former name of Consensus's research-focused custom GPT. Consensus is now the broader product and current brand.
Can I use Consensus for free?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited Paper searches and limited monthly access to Pro messages, Deep reviews, Study Snapshots, and API or MCP calls.
Does Consensus search the live web?
Its core workflow searches a scholarly-paper database rather than the general web. That focus is useful for research questions but does not guarantee every relevant source or the latest non-academic information is included.
Can Consensus write a literature review?
It can generate a structured, cited research synthesis, especially with Deep reviews. Treat that draft as research assistance and verify the selected literature, interpretation, and citations yourself.
Does Consensus work inside ChatGPT?
Yes. The current Consensus ChatGPT app works across ChatGPT plans and uses limits associated with the connected Consensus account.
Bottom line
Our ResearchGPT (now Consensus) verdict
ResearchGPT's successor is a strong choice when the job begins with peer-reviewed evidence. Consensus is most valuable for finding papers, comparing studies, and producing a cited first-pass synthesis; it should not replace critical appraisal or reading the research that matters.
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